I'll give this park a four because it is potentially a really nice park. There is a shelter with…read moretables and a grill. There is a splash park and a nice playground area. There is a nice size lawn and a number of mature trees. Because of the park's shape, there is a lot of street parking available along the edges of the park. My only concern is there was some graffiti sprayed on buildings on site showing some neglect. Hopefully, the neighbors care enough to keep an eye on the park as a benefit to their quality of life. Review #601

This park is a neighborhood park that is in the backyard of Northeast Elementary School. It is…read morerelatively small, covering just under 20 acres. It has a decent sized private parking lot, a basketball court, a baseball field, a covered pavilion, restrooms, a playground and 4 soccer fields. The park is relatively well maintained. In other words, it is ok. It currently has some construction going on in the front by the parking lot. The basketball court is very in bad shape. It appears to have had some patch work done which has since come apart. It looks really bad, but is playable. The baseball field was very muddy, probably due to the park's poor drainage. The park's covered pavilion is co-located with restroom facilities and has picnic tables under it. There are grills right outside the pavilion. The pavilion is available for rent. The soccer fields are the best maintained aspect of the park and appears to be used as part of a youth rec league. The playground is relatively small and consists of a jungle gym with slides. there is also only one toddler swing. The play area's ground was covered in wood chips and dirt. The park has a small paved walkway that can be used to run or jog up and down. The park is not as popular as many other area parks, outside of recreation baseball/softball and soccer. It also has some major drainage issues, after some rain. Currently, it is not very quiet either, since they have a lot of construction going on.

The park is mainly a sports park, with a fenced skate park, basketball court, a baseball diamond,…read moreand several flat areas that look like they are soccer fields. Since the park is located next to an elementary school, it appears to have a convenient location for school activities and access to some parking on the east side. Other amenities include a shelter with picnic tables and restrooms, a single grill for charcoal, playground equipment and lots of overhead lights for the fields. However, the park has not had the benefits of access and design. The west side of the park has a large (and convenient) parking lot which has a single access road from the neighborhood on the west edge of the park. If you go when there is not an event, getting in and out isn't that difficult. But if there is a soccer league playing and lots of folks try leaving at the same time, this can become a real bottleneck. Also, the neighborhood itself is one designed with lots of curving roads, so unless you are familiar with the side streets, it can be quite challenging to find. (The best way is to come from Meridian Street to Park Drive and follow Park Drive to the lot. Note that Meridian is only accessible from County Line Road to the north or Main Street to the south.) Another problem is improper drainage. During my visit, the playgrounds and the walkways had numerous puddles deep enough to thoroughly soak your feet. I understand that building in lots of drainage is an expensive proposition, but be aware that if you stop by after a rainy day, you may have limited access to the equipment. Review #505

This is a pocket park that does not have much to offer. It is on a bed of wood chips and feature a…read moresmall play area with a jungle gym that has a small rock climbing wall, a spiral pole, and a slide. There is also a couple of rockers there too. The jungle gym claims to be a smart structure featuring integration with a smart phone or tablet that brings fairy tales to life by scanning a QR code located on the structure. To be honest, I do not see that feature getting a lot of use, outside of the curious. The park has a bench that overlooks the play area and a picnic table that offers a scenic view of a man made pond and the main road. This park does not have a designated parking lot, but I do not think it was designed as a destination park anyway. You can park along the street in front of the park, across the street from the houses though, without any issues. The park is located off of the Cheeney Creek trail and has a small paved circular path around its perimeter that is intended for kids on the tricycles or big wheels, hence the nickname "Big Wheel Park". This park is geared towards people from the neighborhood visiting it. It does not have a lot to offer and my little guy wanted to leave after about 15 minutes, saying that he was bored and wanted to go home. I will give the park 3 stars for effort, but I would probably skip this park and find one with more to offer and do.

This would be an excellent example of a "pocket park" -- a small playground that's tucked into the…read moreneighborhood. This tiny pocket of a park packs a punch, though, as it has a paved "road" for kids to ride bikes, trikes and big wheels on. It's awesome! It even has a "fueling station" where kids can get "gas." (OK, I'll stop with the quotation marks now; I'm sure you get it.) Part of the bicycle road is lumpy and bumpy, which looks like it would be really fun to ride on. The playground itself is really small and consists of one play structure with a climbing wall, slide and pole. There's space underneath for children to hide under and/or have secret club meetings. Then there are two rocking rides. A Little Free Library sits just off of the playground, and last time I checked it, it contained some of the best children's books I've ever seen in a Little Free Library! I mean, we're talking like Eric Carle and those touch-and-feel books. Whoever is donating here is very generous!

This park is off of the beaten path. It is a nice park that is well maintained. It has a large…read moreshelter with picnic tables under it and a couple of grills just outside of it. There are some restrooms located in the small building that is connected to the shelter and you will find an empty cement slab just off of the shelter. The park features a white gazebo that I do not see having any other purpose other then photo ops. Additionally there is a fire pit and grill in the green space on that side of the park. On the other side of the park is a smaller shelter with picnic tables under it and a grill just outside of it. Parking spaces are not marked very good at this park, but there are more than enough places that you can find to park. I ended up parking between the playground area and small shelter. The park is home to a decent playground area which is lined with wood chips and has benches along its perimeter where parents and caregivers can sit while their littles play. The playground's center piece is a huge jungle gym with a bunch of slides, and bridges. You will also find a smaller jungle gym here a few slides, tunnels and a small canopy. There is a huge canopy in that area without anything under it. Other of the parks playground equipment includes a bank of toddler/expression swings and another bank of traditional/ADA swings. The equipment is very nice, looks relatively new and is in great shape. The entire park is well maintained. The park has a decent amount of well maintained green space around that would be suitable for picnics, playing catch, or a soccer/football game. Just be aware that the much of the green space next to the playground area is private property and is marked as such. Even with out that large plot of land, the park has more than enough green space for you to have fun on. This hidden gem of a park, may not be a destination park but is worth a visit if you are local or in the area.

This park can be found one block north and a few blocks west of the stop sign in Clayton. This six…read moreacre park appears much larger because there is private property connected to the park with a lot of lawn. The actual park has a large shelter (which can be rented) and a smaller shelter back by the playground. There are some mature trees on the southeast corner, but not what enough to call a woods. There has been a recent addition of a gazebo which makes for frequent photographs. A parking lot exists next to the large shelter and a small driveway leads back to the smaller shelter/playground area. It doesn't have lines drawn for parking spaces, but is wide enough to turn your car around if you decide to park there. Review #808

This park has had a serious overhaul. From the parking lot to the tennis/basketball courts. Most…read moreimportantly the playground. They have something for every age of kid! My toddler was in heaven. We went in the early morning and no one was there. In an area with few parks- I'm so happy Indy Parks fixed this one up so nicely.

This park update is very cool. We really enjoyed it, and will be coming back. Nice pickleball…read morecourts too. Definitely worth checking out.

This park, built on the site of a former school, is a few blocks northeast of the downtown area of…read moreFortville. The park has a central gazebo and garden, a small playground (swings and a slide), a soccer field (but no netting in the goals), and a tribute to the war veterans of Fortville. The open space looks like it could hold crowds for festivals. However, if you are in the area, the Memorial Park about a dozen blocks to the west has a lot more space and activities for visitors. This park is okay, but not worth making a drive to. Review #1035

I'm embarrassed to admit that despite having a primary care physician directly across the street,…read moreI'd completely missed the development of Indy's 212th official city park. South Street Square Park is located at 315 S. South and was developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and then donated to the City of Indianapolis in a ceremony in September 2019. It's a 3-acre park located almost directly across from the CityWay Development and easily accessible from the nearby Irsay Family YMCA. In addition to donating the park, Lilly reportedly donates approximately $40,000 annually to help maintain the greenspace that is adjacent to their Indy headquarters. South Street is really more an official greenspace than an actual park. There's over 30,000 square feet of concrete walks designed into a circular design with pathways that branch off. There are benches throughout the park and, in a sign of its business location, USB and power outlets readily available. Bricks from Eli Lilly's Brazil, Indiana offices have been relocated and repurposed. There are flowers, shrubs, and approximately 200 trees planted in the area along with extra lights to help ensure safety. In researching, there's apparently either parking available or planned. I was parked across the street at the YMCA, which is paid parking, and my first visit was rather quick during a doctor's appointment but I definitely plan to return. This little urban oasis is definitely more of a place to chill out than actually enjoy park activity, but it's a beautiful and welcome addition to near-downtown Indy and has to be welcome by the growing CityWay population. I look forward to spending even more time at South Street Square Park in the near future.

This is a small but well kept park right outside of the Eli Lily Complex. The park is 3 acres and…read morewas donated and developed by Eli Lily. It is beautiful. They actually donate about 40 G's per year to maintain the park. It is in the backyard of the Irsay YMCA and has an awesome view of Lucas Oil Stadium. The park is well maintained, has its own very small parking lot, and is a what you see is what you get kind of park. There is no playground or picnic tables, no restrooms or hiking trails. There is just a huge green field and some plants, surrounded but a bunch of benches. There are intertwined paths that you can use to walk or jog, I would say it was about a quarter mile around. The park seems pretty safe and is well lit. As I mentioned, it is a simple park and does not get very busy. It is a nice place to sit and chill or walk/jog in a safe loop.

Known as a pocket park with a purpose, this is a small park nestled away in the Hawthorne…read moreneighborhood. It is literally behind 2 houses. It dates back to 2013, and was created after receiving a Project Green Space Grant from KIB.You can find parking in front of one of the houses, but keep in mind that parking is only allows on one side of the street. It is a small art park, that use to be an abandoned lot that was full of illegally dumped trash and furniture and drug paraphernalia. The first thing that yo notice when you see the park is it's bright yellow 1964 Pontiac Bonneville sitting vertical. You will also find bench seating and a picnic table around the car and a fire pit with some stump seating around it as well. The fence is painted with a rainbow version of the city's skyline. In addition to serving as a place to display public art, the park serves as a place that local residents can garden. There are also some fruit trees there. You will also find this home to many species of local native vegetation. Events are hosted at the park throughout the year such as Art in the Park. So, outside of one of these special events, you probably will not spend a lot of time at this park. It is however, a nice place to see and has a wonderful backstory about a neighborhood coming together and doing something positive in their community. And plus you get to see some cool public art (for free) and it provides for some awesome photos.

This used to be an abandoned lot, and now it's a beautiful space for the community. You gotta love…read morethe great things that can happen when residents come together to make their neighborhood better. Purpose Park is a pocket park in the Hawthorne neighborhood. It's on a quiet, residential street, and you would probably drive right by it, except for the fact that there's a yellow 1964 Pontiac Bonneville planted right in the the ground at the entrance of the park. It's a photo op for sure, but also practical: The bottom of the car has been smoothed and is used as a projection screen for neighborhood movie nights. It's a small little park, but it serves the local residents by being a place to plant vegetables (there is a raised bed community garden here). There are also fruit trees and grape vines that surround the park. There's a casita that's used for community performances. There are wooden stumps that circle a fire pit that the neighbors use for summertime campfires. According to Purpose Park's Facebook page, this pocket park is a meeting area for community events, such as Easter egg hunts and other gatherings. I love pocket parks so much, and this little one is a great addition to Indianapolis' amazing community spaces.